This week in the Proactive Ministry in Media Culture class, we are considering media education in a more focused way. To this end, we have been given access to a number of policy statements, and working reports. These are primarily the work of different non-profits, research institutes, and religious denominations.
Now, awhile back, I was asked to speak more about the concept of a "poverty trap." This week seems like a good week to focus more deeply on what this means. Especially given one of the documents we were directed to, "The No-Nonsense guide to Media, the Right to Information and Poverty Reduction."
According to the document, "Strengthening the voices of people living in poverty improves understandings and actions aimed at addressing poverty, injustice, and inequality and can inform and influence public agendas locally, nationally, and internationally" (page 1). This seems consistant with the local response to the problem in Minnesota, through the actions of A Minnesota Without Poverty. But more importantly to me, it underscores why I feel such a passion in my calling to help in organizations who do economic development, relief, and poverty alleviation related work.
Regarding poverty traps, education and open access to information are required to get out of poverty. As the document says, "In a vicious circle, excluded people are more likely to fall into poverty and the poorer they become, the more vulnerable they are to social exclusion and political marginalization" (page 1).
Economists Michael P. Todaro & Stephen C. Smith define a poverty trap as, "A bad equilibrium for a family, community, or nation, involving a vicious cycle in which poverty and underdevelopment lead to more poverty and underdevelopment, often from one generation to the next." [Michael P. Todaro & Stephen C. Smith, Economic Development, (Boston, MA: Pearson, Addison Wesley, 2006), 824.]
Without access to information, people are at a disadvantage just as they are without infrastructure (such as power, transportation, etc.). This is in part why I feel its a no-brainer to consider broadband access and internet access as essential in today's world to not only be connected, but to be able to communicate and learn. (After all, the UN has declared that "Freedom of information is a fundamental human right...") As more and more of our knowledge and resources are placed in digital locations and provided over the internet, if one's access to such is limited, so is their access to information in general. Without adequate access to information, not only is one at a disadvantage, they are "cut-off" or "trapped." People without this access are excluded and marginalized.
As Christians we are called to speak out about injustice and to identify and reach out to the margins. One great way to do that today is to speak out for those who cannot speak for themeselves because they do not have the resources to do so. The best outcome of course, is that we can provide these tools to all people and show them how they can use them to share their insights and perspectives. Therefore, there might be communal learning and collaboration.
You are starting to sell me on the idea that internet access is as vital as other things seen as basic staples. Seeing poverty a little more up close and personal with my job, it's both harder and easier to see your points.
ReplyDeleteFrom an educational perspective, one unintended perk of the internet is anonymity. Watching impoverished, typically minority students in the school system, access to upper education is only half the battle. They often feel marginalized even if they get in the classroom. I think the internet's anonymity can be used to minimize damaging social factors in education.